Man Coverage Cornerbacks in the draft?

I admit to the possibility of being incorrect but it would seem to me that the Cowboy secondary is in need of corners that can play tighter man to man coverage. So with that in mind, who has announced or is expected to announce tomorrow 1/15/07, would fit the bill of a man coverage corner? Reeves and even Henry to some degree would seem to be better suited in a zone scheme. Henry, at least seems to have a bit of a niche for playing the ball and making a break on it. But who in the college ranks coming out is more of man coverage CB?

STRENGTHS
Mike has excellent athletic talent along with size and speed to play his position. He shows good quickness to go along with his speed. He does a great job in man-to-man coverage and shows good intelligence and instincts to play zone coverage also. Mike does a solid job when called upon to tackle on sweeps. He shows a great burst to the ball and is excellent when using his hands on the bump and run technique. Mike has improved every year I have seen him. He has gotten bigger and stronger and has improved his fundamentals in tackling. Mike has good potential to be a Pro Bowl CB for the team that drafts him.

NEEDS TO IMPROVE
I&#8217;m not sure how good Mike&#8217;s hands are to make an interception and he needs a little more technique work when he turns and runs with a WR. He seems to have a good work ethic and all in all, I doubt this is going to be a big problem at the next level. Mike needs to continue to stay away from altercations outside of bars. This could be a sticking point for some teams.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1
In this day and age, you need a big CB to play the big WR&#8217;s. Mike is just that type of CB. He is tall and strong with good speed and quickness. He is smart and shows intelligence along with having a stand-out work ethic. Mike has done a solid job on special teams and no doubt will be able to help the team that drafts him right away in this regard, as he learns better techniques and gains his confidence. Every team in the NFL needs a CB like Mike. Mike is really going to jump up on every one&#8217;s board when he works out at the Senior Bowl and combine. I think he is a lot quicker than most people realize. I think what I like most about Mike&#8217;s game this year is how well he has improved making tackles and defending against the sweep. You can&#8217;t teach this. A player has to want to stop that play from happening. He has to do it because pride makes him want to do it. The easiest way to stop the sweep for a CB is to identify the play, get into the back field and turn it in before it has a real chance to swallow you up in the wake of blockers that are a hell of a lot bigger than you will ever be. Mike has done an excellent job jumping on this play this year and not waiting for it to swallow him up. I think he realizes that getting into the backfield as quickly as possible and turning this play in for others to make the tackle limits your personal risk of injury.

- Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com)

Antoine Cason CB Arizona​

STRENGTHS
Antoine has excellent size, strength and speed to play multiple DB positions for the team that drafts him. He is a good tackler and has excellent intelligence to go along with some good leadership skills. Antoine is an excellent zone cover corner who understands match-up zone coverage better than most CB&#8217;s that are in the NFL right now. He also has solid man-to-man cover skills, but his true strength is his intelligence and ability to understand zone coverage like a coach on the field. Antoine has the size and strength to cover those big WR&#8217;s and pass catching TE&#8217;s that every team is looking for and also has the ability to move inside in nickel and dime situations. He has the talent to match-up as a cover CB on an island against those tall WR&#8217;s in the red zone. I call him Antoine (The Brain) Cason. Do I really need to explain?

NEEDS TO IMPROVE
Antoine is not going to cover those little bug-like WR&#8217;s and he will be susceptible to double moves because he has those long legs that will always make it difficult to recover quickly. This is not a real problem because Antoine can overcome this issue with his intelligence.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1
I am not sure I have ever seen a kid that has a better understanding of zone coverage than this kid. He doesn&#8217;t take false steps, he knows exactly where he is on the field and he understands when to let the WR go in the zone. He also understands when a team floods his zone, what player is his priority and does not get confused. Antoine likes the play in front of him and because he is a good tackler, he could easily play the Free Safety position in a single safety defensive scheme. He has good man-to-man cover skills, but he excels in zone coverage along with excellent leadership skills. When you draft Antoine, you will be drafting a player who will keep your DB&#8217;s all on the same page on every snap. If I were in the same division as the Detroit Lions, Antoine would be very high on my list. He will be able to cover that fade route against the larger WR&#8217;s without a problem and that alone is worth drafting him. Antoine will have some difficulty covering one on one players like Steve Smith, Roscoe Parrish, Randle El, but as I have been saying throughout this profile, he is also smart enough that when he has to cover those type of WR&#8217;s, they better run their routes correctly because he will jump all over any mistakes they might make. I&#8217;m calling him Antoine (The Brain) Cason because he is like a coach on the field.

I would guess that Dallas wouldn't go with two cornerbacks in round one, though stranger things have happened. So perhaps I should have specified a bit on what grounds I was thinking. Are there any "hidden gems" that are projected in the middle rounds that are more suited for man coverage? The list that I've seen above are indeed great candidates for one of the first round or second round picks. I would have loved to have seen Malcolm Jenkins come out(even if he'd have been long gone at 22) but that might perhaps be the Buckeye homer speaking. If nothing else the corners out of OSU have been serviceable at the least.

With opposing offenses electing to throw away from Mike Jenkins, Williams has developed into a potential first-day selection himself.

An athletic corner blessed with both pure speed and big-play ability, Williams took advantage of quarterbacks challenging him to record a team-record seven interceptions in 2006, earning First Team Big-East accolades.

A veteran of 32 starts entering his senior season, Williams has the experience scouts like, as well as the athleticism to improve. He's often used in man coverage at USF, but shows the instincts and break on the ball to be effective in zone as well. Scouts are still looking for more consistency from Williams, but he could take advantage of senior all-star games to distance himself from his more recognized teammate.

A strong showing during the all-star banquet could ultimately result in a top 50 selection for Williams.

Analysis

Positives: Classic build for the position. ... Rare straight-line speed. ... Smooth hip-turn and change of direction. ... Smooth acceleration and has a second gear when the ball is in flight. ... Good hands for the interception. ... Reads the action well. ... Reads the quarterback well and can break on the ball. ... Reliable open-field tackler. ... Durable.

Negatives: Operates behind a highly aggressive pass rush and has taken advantage of some pressured throws to pad his interception totals. ... Not an overly elusive runner with the ball in his hands. ... Lacks vision and has struggled to generate yards after the interception. ... Drag-down tackler with limited explosiveness in his hitting. ... Only marginal ability to track the ball over his shoulder. ... Mistimes his leaps and too often loses out in battles for the ball. ... Struggles some against bigger, physical receivers.

With opposing offenses electing to throw away from Mike Jenkins, Williams has developed into a potential first-day selection himself.

An athletic corner blessed with both pure speed and big-play ability, Williams took advantage of quarterbacks challenging him to record a team-record seven interceptions in 2006, earning First Team Big-East accolades.

A veteran of 32 starts entering his senior season, Williams has the experience scouts like, as well as the athleticism to improve. He's often used in man coverage at USF, but shows the instincts and break on the ball to be effective in zone as well. Scouts are still looking for more consistency from Williams, but he could take advantage of senior all-star games to distance himself from his more recognized teammate.

A strong showing during the all-star banquet could ultimately result in a top 50 selection for Williams.

Analysis

Positives: Classic build for the position. ... Rare straight-line speed. ... Smooth hip-turn and change of direction. ... Smooth acceleration and has a second gear when the ball is in flight. ... Good hands for the interception. ... Reads the action well. ... Reads the quarterback well and can break on the ball. ... Reliable open-field tackler. ... Durable.

Negatives: Operates behind a highly aggressive pass rush and has taken advantage of some pressured throws to pad his interception totals. ... Not an overly elusive runner with the ball in his hands. ... Lacks vision and has struggled to generate yards after the interception. ... Drag-down tackler with limited explosiveness in his hitting. ... Only marginal ability to track the ball over his shoulder. ... Mistimes his leaps and too often loses out in battles for the ball. ... Struggles some against bigger, physical receivers.

I would guess that Dallas wouldn't go with two cornerbacks in round one, though stranger things have happened. So perhaps I should have specified a bit on what grounds I was thinking. Are there any "hidden gems" that are projected in the middle rounds that are more suited for man coverage? The list that I've seen above are indeed great candidates for one of the first round or second round picks. I would have loved to have seen Malcolm Jenkins come out(even if he'd have been long gone at 22) but that might perhaps be the Buckeye homer speaking. If nothing else the corners out of OSU have been serviceable at the least.

There are a few guys:
Jack Ikegwuonu Height: 6-1 | Weight: 193 | 40-Time: 4.50:
Ikegwuonu has good size (6 feet 1, 202 pounds) and has been timed by school officials in the 4.4s for the 40-yard dash. League talent evaluators do not yet have an accurate time on him and two scouts reached Monday evening acknowledged they are curious to see just how fast he runs in pre-draft workouts.
The Madison, Wis., native, scouts said, possesses solid cover instincts. The two scouts noted that Ikegwuonu seemed to raise the level of his game against the conference's top receivers.
How teams project him in the draft could be affected by the belief in some quarters that cornerback will not be a deep position in the 2008 lottery.
Because he has not been officially cleared for the draft, league scouts are precluded from discussing Ikegwuonu with the media.
In 39 appearances, 29 as a starter, Ikegwuonu totaled 91 tackles, 5½ tackles for losses, six interceptions, 35 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one recovery. Ikegwuonu had 16 pass breakups in 2007.

Weaknesses:Limited starting experience...Hands are questionable...Has not played a ton of off coverage...A little inconsistent...Wasn't overly productive...May have some trouble mastering the complexities of a pro defense early on...Has minor durability issues.

Notes:Didn't start until his senior year but made the most of the opportunity...Dealt with a nagging knee injury as a junior...A fast rising prospect with all the physical tools that you look for...Will also be an extremely valuable asset on special teams...May emerge as one of the top seniors available at his position...An intriguing prospect.

Charles Godfrey Height: 6-1 | Weight: 208 | 40-Time: 4.40Strengths:Has excellent size with a solid frame and long arms...Outstanding timed speed...A fantastic athlete...Real quick with a burst to close...Very good ball skills...Is strong and tough...Physical and aggressive...A reliable tackler...Will deliver the big hit...Is versatile with experience at two positions...Still improving and has a huge upside.

Weaknesses:Extremely raw and still learning the position...Has to work on his technique when it comes to footwork and positioning...Marginal instincts and awareness...Doesn't play as fast as he times...Inconsistent and gives up too many big plays...He relies too heavily on his natural talent...Risky and might be a bit of a "Workout Warrior".

Notes:Older brother El Roberson played quarterback at Kansas State...He played safety early in his college career and only moved to corner in '06...Finally started to fulfill his potential as a senior...Will test through the roof and it'll be easy to fall in love with his measurables but he is still somewhat of a developmental guy...He'll likely be chosen relatively early based more on potential than actual college production